Magic and Medicine from the Ozarks

Ozark Encyclopedia – B – Black Cats

Black cat tail used in curing granulated eyelids – “The tail of a black cat, drawn across the eye everyday, is the prime remedy for granulated eyelids; some healers even claim to have cured cataract with this simple remedy, reinforced by a few ‘old sayin’s.’” ~Randolph OMF 138

Black cat killed and used to cure warts – “A group of old-timers in Phelps county, Missouri, contend that the best way to dispose of warts is to carry a black cat, freshly killed, into a graveyard at night. Some say that the dead cat must be placed on the grave of a person buried the same day, and if this person has led a wicked life, so much the better.” ~Randolph OMF 130-131

“Kill a black cat and put it in a gunny sack. Then take the sack and bury it someplace where you will never go back.” ~Parler FBA III 3658

Black cat killed to cure shingles – “Miss Jewell Perriman, of Jenkins, Missouri, reports that in her neighborhood a black cat is sacrificed to treat shingles. She knew a man whose shingles had ‘nearly gone around’ him, but the power doctors cured him by killing a black cat and applying the blood.” ~Randolph OMF 147

“Kill a black cat and cut off its tail and rub the blood out of its tail on the shingles and it will cure them.” ~Parler FBA III 3066

“Kill a black cat, skin it and put the skin on you before it gets cold and it will cure the shingles.” ~Parler FBA III 3067

Black cat used against consumption – “Kill a completely black cat…skin and lay on the chest while still warm. This will cure lung fever.” ~Parler FBA II 1921

Black cat oil used against fits – “If a child has ‘fits’ kill a black cat and render out the oil. Give oil to the patient daily. This is supposed to cure fits.” ~Parler FBA II 2246